Foot rest for hospital beds



Sept. 20, 1960 R. J. zuTl 2, 52

FOOT REST FOR HOSPITAL BEDS Filed May 6, 1959 IN V EN TOR.

ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 2,952,855 Patented Sept. 20, 1960 FOOT REST FORHOSPITAL BEDS Rudolph J. Zuti, 4055 South Ave., Ext, Youngstown, OhioFiled May 6, 1959, Ser. No. 811,363

'4 Claims. (Cl. -317) This invention relates to a foot rest and moreparticularly to a foot rest that may be installed on a hospital bed sothat a person on the bed may rest his feet thereagainst.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a simpleeasily installed foot rest for a bed.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a foot rest thatis held in position by the mattress on the bed and may be movedlongitudinally of the bed as desired.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a foot restfor a hospital bed which is positioned on the mattress supportingsprings and extends thereabove and does not interfere with the tiltingor folding action of the hospital bed.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a foot restfor a bed which may be simply and easily adjusted and removed orreplaced to facilitate changing the bed.

The foot rest shown and described herein comprises an improvement infoot rests, supports, and the like which are frequently used on hospitalbeds to provide a structure against which the patient may exercise hisfeet. The device also is useful in holding the covers in elevatedrelation to a patients feet, as is sometimes necessary. It hasheretofore been customary to use various wooden devices, sand bags, andthe like as make-shift foot rests and several proposals have been madefor clamping foot rests to the side rails of the hospital beds. Suchdevices as heretofore known in the art interfere with the normal tiltingand folding action of the hospital beds as frequently necessary inproperly positioning patients thereon.

The present invention provides a foot rest and a separate supportingframe therefor. The frame is positioned on the bed springs beneath themattress and is held in place thereby. Side portions of the frame arehingedly mounted so that they may be swung downwardly to permit completefreedom in changing the bed and when moved upwardly they receive andproperly position a transverse vertical panel forming the actual footrest.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being the intention to cover all changes andmodifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for purposesof the disclosure, which do not constitute departures from the spiritand scope of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the foot rest.

Figure 2 is a front view of the foot rest.

Figure 3 is a side view of the foot rest.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a portion of a hospital bed showingthe foot rest installed thereon.

By referring to the drawings and Figures 1, 2 and 3 in particular itwill be seen that the foot rest comprises a substantially rectangularframe 10 which is of a length corresponding with the width of a hospitalbed and of a width approximately half its own length. The frame 10 hasoppositely disposed parallel side sections 11 and each of the sidesections 11 forms a support for a pair of tubular members 12 which arerotatably positioned thereon. Each pair of the tubular members 12, whichare best illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawings, supports the ends 13of a bifurcated member 14, and each bifurcated member 14 includes astraight section 15 which is usually vertically disposed either above orbelow the frame section 11 as shown in solid and broken linesrespectively in Figure 4 of the drawings.

When the bifurcated members 14 are in upstanding position, as seen insolid lines in the several views, they form spaced parallel verticalsupports for receiving and holding a transverse vertical panel 16 whichis provided with sleeves 17 on its opposite ends. The transversevertical panel 16 is positioned at right angles to the horizontalsurface of the mattress on the bed and thereabove, so that a patientsfeet can be positioned thereagainst. A pair of bolts 18 are threadablyengaged in openings in the sides of the sleeves 17 and act as clampsengaging the straight sections 15 of the respective bifurcated members14. Thus, as shown in Figures 1 through 4 of the drawings in solidlines, the transverse panel 16 is carried by the bifurcated brackets andthe same are in turn carried by the horizontally disposed frame 10 whichrests on the bed springs and beneath the mattress thereon. The device isthus held securely by the mattress while at the same time being readilymovable relative thereto. At such time as the linen on the bed ischanged the bolts 18 may be loosened and the transverse panel 16 liftedto free it from its engagement with the portions 15 of the bifurcatedmembers 14 whereupon the same may be swung to lower position, as shownin broken lines in Figure 4 of the drawings. The device is thuscompletely free of the mattress so that the bed may be changed withoutinterference therefrom.

It will thus be seen that a foot rest for beds has been disclosed whichmeets the several objects of the invention, and having thus described myinvention, What I claim is:

l. A foot rest for a bed having bed springs and a mattress thereon andcomprising a horizontally disposed frame having spaced side and endmembers and adapted to be positioned on said springs beneath saidmattress, brackets pivotally attached to said end members of said frame,said brackets including sections extending above the mattress when movedto vertical position, a transverse panel having fixtures on the oppositeends thereof for engaging said vertical sections of said brackets, saidtransverse panel forming a vertically disposed foot rest transverselyabove said mattress.

2. The foot rest for a bed as set forth in claim 1 and wherein saidhorizontally disposed frame is substantially rectangular in shape.

3. The foot rest for a bed set forth in claim 1 and wherein the saidhorizontally disposed frame is substantially rectangular and whereinsaid end members of said frame are parallel and wherein said bracketsare hingedly atfixed to said parallel end members of said frame.

4. A foot rest for a bed having a bed springs and a mattress thereon andcomprising a frame adapted to be positioned on said springs, oppositelydisposed portions of said frame extending beyond the sides of saidmattress and lying parallel thereto, tubular members rotatablypositioned on said oppositely disposed portions of said frame,bifurcated brackets mounted on said tubular members and having portionsextending above said mattress, a transversely extending vertical panelhaving secondary 4 tubular means on the ends thereof engaged on said p0rtions of said bifurcated brackets, said transverse panel forming avertical disposed foot rest transversely of and above said mattress.

References'Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS798,114 Rosenthal Aug. 29, 1905 1,694,095 Du Moulin Dec. 4, 1928 102,736,131 Lewis Feb. 28, 1956 2,891,257 Posey June 23, 1959 Disclaimer2,952,855.Rud0lpk J. Zutz', Youngstown, Ohio. FOOT BEST FOR HOSPITALBEDS. Patent dated Sept. '20, 1960. Disclaimer filed Sept. 11, 1962, bythe inventor. Hereby enters this disclaimer to claims 1, 2 and 3 ofsaid. patent.

[Ofiicial Gazette Octobev' 16, 1.962.]

Notice of Adverse Decision in Interference In Interference No. 91,736involving Pa rest for hospital beds, final judgment adverse 15, 1962,as'to claims 1, 2, and 3.

[Ofiicial Gazette August '7, 1962.]

tent No. 2,952,855, R. J. Zuti, Foot to the patentee was rendered June

